The following is the statement issued by the “Council of Church Leaders in Jordan” regarding an article published on 29/1/2008 by the American News Agency, “Compass Direct News,” about Christians in Jordan. The press release was published in the Jordanian Embassy on the USA web site – and was later removed, but it is still widely distributed in the Jordanian press.

In this press release, Evangelical Churches are labeled as “groups” and not churches, for these groups “came under the guise of charitable organizations, and have started to call themselves as churches -which they are not – and to ask for the same rights that the Constitution stipulates for formal churches. They also have proselytized among Jordanians, in a manner that has given rise to religious animosity, disrespecting the freedom of conscience, and thus disturbing the relations between Christian and Muslim Jordanian citizens. In short, they have become a threat to public security”.

Special For Come and See, Feb 15, 2008

Jordan has increased pressure on foreign Christians living in the kingdom, expelling many long-time residents over the past 13 months in what local churches see as an attack on their legitimacy.

Authorities deported or refused residence permits to at least 27 expatriate Christian families and individuals in 2007, a number of them working with local churches or studying at a Christian seminary, Compass has confirmed.

In all but one case, officials refused to provide written explanations for the decisions. But many of those expelled told Compass that they had been questioned by intelligence officers regarding evangelism of Muslims.

by Peter Lamprecht, Compass Direct, Jan 29, 2008

Biblical history flows through the nation of Jordan, from the cave where Lot is said to have lived after his wife turned into a pillar of salt to the archaeological park where many believe John the Baptist baptized Jesus.

Abraham passed this way as he traveled from Mesopotamia to Canaan, and Moses climbed Mount Nebo to look out upon the Promised Land. In Jordan's northwest corner at Umm Qais, called Gadara in the New Testament, Jesus performed the miracle of the Gadarene swine. Near Amman is the legendary Cave of the Seven Sleepers, where legend holds that several persecuted Christian boys found shelter and slept there for 309 years.

By Cecile S. Holmes, July 7, 2006 - Religion News Service

Jordan's King Abdullah II, whose interfaith efforts over the past year impressed Catholics, Jews and Muslims alike, will have a supporting role at this year's National Prayer Breakfast, according to a key aide.

Although he would not be the first Muslim to speak at the annual event at the Washington Hilton, he will have a bigger role than his predecessors, said Joseph Lumbard, special adviser to the king for interfaith affairs.

By Julia Duin, THE WASHINGTON TIMES, January 9, 2006